diff --git a/src/graph_scheduler/condition.py b/src/graph_scheduler/condition.py
index 3139a93c..6ebd1eac 100644
--- a/src/graph_scheduler/condition.py
+++ b/src/graph_scheduler/condition.py
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ def converge(node, thresh):
 
 from graph_scheduler import _unit_registry
 from graph_scheduler.time import TimeScale
-from graph_scheduler.utilities import call_with_pruned_args, clone_graph, get_descendants, get_receivers, gs_logging_formatter
+from graph_scheduler.utilities import call_with_pruned_args, clone_graph, get_ancestors, get_descendants, get_receivers, gs_logging_formatter
 
 
 _additional__all__ = ['Action', 'ConditionError', 'ConditionSet']
@@ -2417,6 +2417,7 @@ def __init__(
         debug: bool = False,
         ignore_conflicts: bool = False,
         remove_descendant_senders: bool = True,
+        remove_ancestor_receivers: bool = True,
         **kwargs,
     ):
         subject_senders = self._handle_subject_arg(
@@ -2437,6 +2438,7 @@ def __init__(
             debug=debug,
             ignore_conflicts=ignore_conflicts,
             remove_descendant_senders=remove_descendant_senders,
+            remove_ancestor_receivers=remove_ancestor_receivers,
             **kwargs
         )
 
@@ -2612,13 +2614,15 @@ def _manipulate_graph(
             graph,
             # [self.owner],
             self.nodes,
-            self.remove_descendant_senders,
+            remove_descendants=self.remove_descendant_senders,
         )
         logger.debug(f'Apply owner_receivers ({self.owner_receivers}) to {self.owner}')
         new_receiver_nodes[self.owner] = self._process_action(
             all_receivers_old[self.owner],
             set.union(*[all_receivers_old[n] for n in self.nodes]),
             self.owner_receivers,
+            graph=graph,
+            remove_ancestors=self.remove_ancestor_receivers,
         )
 
         for n in self.nodes:
@@ -2633,13 +2637,15 @@ def _manipulate_graph(
                 graph,
                 # self.nodes,
                 [self.owner],
-                self.remove_descendant_senders,
+                remove_descendants=self.remove_descendant_senders,
             )
             logger.debug(f'Apply subject_receivers ({subject_receivers_n}) to {n}')
             new_receiver_nodes[n] = self._process_action(
                 all_receivers_old[n],
                 all_receivers_old[self.owner],
                 subject_receivers_n,
+                graph=graph,
+                remove_ancestors=self.remove_ancestor_receivers,
             )
 
         for receiver in new_sender_nodes:
@@ -2719,6 +2725,8 @@ def _apply_action_to_edge_sets(
         )
         return res
 
+    # TODO: do desc/ances into separate methods/just one
+
     def _process_action(
         self,
         source_neighbors: typing.Set,
@@ -2727,13 +2735,16 @@ def _process_action(
         graph=None,
         comparison_nodes=None,
         remove_descendants: bool = False,
+        remove_ancestors: bool = False,
     ) -> typing.Set:
         result = self._apply_action_to_edge_sets(
             source_neighbors,
             comparison_neighbors,
             action,
         )
+
         if remove_descendants:
+            assert graph is not None
             descendants = get_descendants(graph)
             logger.debug(descendants)
 
@@ -2741,7 +2752,8 @@ def _process_action(
             # ipdb.set_trace()
             descendants_to_ignore = set()
             for k, v in descendants.items():
-                if k is self.owner or k in self.nodes:
+                # if k is self.owner or k in self.nodes:
+                if k in self.nodes:
                     descendants_to_ignore = descendants_to_ignore.union(v)
 
             modified_result = result - descendants_to_ignore
@@ -2751,6 +2763,26 @@ def _process_action(
                 )
                 result = modified_result
 
+        if remove_ancestors:
+            assert graph is not None
+            ancestors = get_ancestors(graph)
+            logger.debug(ancestors)
+
+            # import ipdb
+            # ipdb.set_trace()
+            ancestors_to_ignore = set()
+            for k, v in ancestors.items():
+                # if k is self.owner or k in self.nodes:
+                if k in self.nodes:
+                    ancestors_to_ignore = ancestors_to_ignore.union(v)
+
+            modified_result = result - ancestors_to_ignore
+            if modified_result != result:
+                logger.debug(
+                    f'Removing ancestors {ancestors_to_ignore} from {result} giving {modified_result}'
+                )
+                result = modified_result
+
         return result
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -2946,7 +2978,7 @@ def __init__(
         *nodes,
         owner_senders: typing.Union[Action, str] = Action.REPLACE,
         owner_receivers: typing.Union[Action, str] = Action.MERGE,
-        subject_senders: typing.Union[Action, str, dict] = Action.REPLACE,
+        subject_senders: typing.Union[Action, str, dict] = Action.MERGE,
         subject_receivers: typing.Union[Action, str, dict] = Action.KEEP,
         reconnect_non_subject_receivers: bool = True,
     ):
diff --git a/src/graph_scheduler/utilities.py b/src/graph_scheduler/utilities.py
index d6134630..dbaceeb3 100644
--- a/src/graph_scheduler/utilities.py
+++ b/src/graph_scheduler/utilities.py
@@ -156,3 +156,19 @@ def cached_descendants(g):
         return {node: nx.descendants(nx_graph, node) for node in graph}
 
     return cached_descendants(frozen_graph(graph))
+
+
+def get_ancestors(graph: typing.Dict) -> typing.Dict:
+    """
+    Returns a dict containing the ancestors of each node in dependency
+    dictionary **graph**
+
+    Args:
+        graph (dict): a dependency dictionary
+    """
+    @functools.lru_cache()
+    def cached_ancestors(g):
+        nx_graph = nx.DiGraph(graph).reverse()
+        return {node: nx.ancestors(nx_graph, node) for node in graph}
+
+    return cached_ancestors(frozen_graph(graph))
diff --git a/tests/scheduling/test_condition.py b/tests/scheduling/test_condition.py
index 9dc5f2f1..13ad4e1b 100644
--- a/tests/scheduling/test_condition.py
+++ b/tests/scheduling/test_condition.py
@@ -2134,10 +2134,9 @@ def _single_condition_test_helper(
             'five_node_hub', 'D', ['C'], None,
             {'A': set(), 'B': set(), 'C': {'A', 'B', 'D'}, 'D': {'A', 'B'}, 'E': {'C'}},
         ),
-        # creates cycle due to subject_senders default MERGE
         (
             'five_node_hub', 'D', ['A'], None,
-            {'A': {'D'}, 'B': set(), 'C': {'A', 'B'}, 'D': {'C'}, 'E': {'C'}}
+            {'A': {'D'}, 'B': set(), 'C': {'A', 'B'}, 'D': set(), 'E': {'C'}}
         ),
         (
             'five_node_hub', 'C', ['D'], r'.*C is already before D.*Condition is ignored.',
@@ -2160,7 +2159,7 @@ def _single_condition_test_helper(
                 'B': set(),
                 'C': {'A', 'B', 'E'},
                 'D': {'A', 'C'},
-                'E': {'A', 'B', 'H'},
+                'E': {'A', 'B'},
                 'F': {'C', 'D', 'E'},
                 'G': {'E'},
                 'H': {'G'},